Mechanism for regulatably spreading sand or grit



J. A. BUYCK March 3, 1931.

MECHANISM FOR REGULATABLY SPREADING SAND OR GRIT Filed Feb. 28, 1929 [HI/61213 01: M

M M fl byb flitorneym Patented Mar. 3, 1931 JULES A. BUYCK, F DETROIT, MICHIGAN PATENT OFFICE MECHANISM FOR BEGULATABLY SPREADING SAN D OB GRIT Application filed February 28, 1929. Serial No. 343,462.

This invention relates to apparatus for distributing sand, ashes, or similar grit on a slippery pavement to facilitate starting or prevent skidding of a motor vehicle, and

6 has for its object an improved organization of parts by means of which there may be forcibly and regulatably ejected from a suitable supply source asutficient quantity of such material to cover the slippery surface with which the driver has to deal at any particular time. Essentially it involves the expulsion of a proper and non-wasteful quantity of such material, by subjecting it to the action of a blast of exhaust gas, which is temporarily diverted from the exhaust pipe of the engine by selective manipulation of a suitable valve, which temporarily shunts the exhaust current from its usual course and against a deposited quantity of sand, ashes,

or the like, which is otherwise held inactive and in non-scatterable position. The preferred embodiment of my improved device is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is avertical sectional elevation.

Fi re 2 is a plan view, showing more or less iagrammatically the relation of the apparatus to a suitably positioned control valve.

Figure 3 is an elevational view of the device taken from the same position as Figure 1.

The container or grip box 1, which is provided with a tapering or inverted funnel shaped bottom 2, may be fastened to any suitable portion of a vehicle chassis as, for example, the running board 4 in any approvedway, as by means of U-bolts 5 which pass through the flanges 20 of the box 1 and the running board 4 of the motor vehicle. Rising within the interior of the container, preferably for assembly reasons, along one side wall, is a riser pipe 3, which is open at the top, and which is connected at the bottom end with the pipe 6, which is securedbeneath the running board and which is connected at one end with the flexible ,or other tubing 10 by means of the set screw 11. This pipe 10 leads to connection with the dashcontrolled exhaust cut-out valve 22, into and beyond which leads the exhaust pipe 21.

positioned in suitable relation to the course As brought out'in Figures 1 and 3 particularly, the pipe 6 is of wavy or up-anddown cross sectional contour, so that immediately beneath the hole in the center of the funnel shaped bottom 2 of the container there is a valley or a depression into which a little hill of sand or grit may descend by gravity, its position and normal extent being indicated by the dots 23. Both the connection of the lower end of the riser pipe 3 and of the hole 2 through the sloping bottom of the container may, if desired, be guarded and made air-tight by the use of-washers 7 and 8, as shown. The opposite end of this pipe 6 from that with which the inlet pipe 10 is connected is containued in first rising and then downwardly inclined form, the latter or discharge end being indicated at 12 and being of the traction wheels so that sand or grit ejected therefrom will furnish traction along the line of their travel. The top of the box is closed and rendered relatively air-tight by the cover 14, preferabl encircled at its edge by the gasket 15. This cover ma be further held in lace by the pressure 0 the leaf spring 16, w ich depends from the under side of the outer cover 17, which latter is openably held in position on top of the container 1 by the catch 19 and hinge 18 respectively. Preferably, of course, one of these devices is located on each running board of the vehicle so that, if needed, equal traction may be afforded to the wheels; such arrangement is suggested by the showing in Figure 2 of the pipes 10 and 24, though the remaining operative parts appurtenant only one of them, as 10, are illustrated; the corresponding parts served by the pipe 24 would be the same. on

The operation of my improved device is as follows:

In ordinary running of the vehicle, when no traction problems are encountered, the cutout valve 22 is so adjusted as to leave the engine exhaust pipe 21 unobstructed and close the pipes 10 and 24, each of which is, as

above stated, connected with its corresponding wavy pipe 6 in the apparatus on one running board or the other, thus letting the 1 0 and divert the engine exhaust throug the pipes 10 and 24, thus directing the force thereof against the accumulated pile of sand 23 in the central dip or valley of the pipe 6 of each apparatus and ejecting it through its discharge end 12. As soon as the accumulated pile 23 has been ejected, more sand or grit will descend through the opening in the sloping bottom 2 of the container for similar action upon it by the exhaust blast. latter would not occur, but on the contrary, upon the exhaustion of the accumulated pile of sand 23, the blast from the pipe 6 would then drive upwardly through the hole in the bottom of the container rather than allow further sand to fall therethrough, were it not for the connection of the pipe 6 with the riser pipe 3, through which a part of the exhaust blast is diverted to the top of the container, because of the top end of the pipe 3 leading thereto, and consequently furnishing a greater pressure on the top of the sand supply than would be exerted through the hole in the bottom of the container 2 which, it will be noted, is of appreciably less diametrical size than the riser pipe 3. With the pressure forces thus not merely balanced, but actually over-balanced in favor of the further descent of the This rial that has made its way thereinto from said I container.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification.

' JULES A. BUYCK.

granular material through the hole in the bottom of the container, the action of gravity may be relied upon tocontinue the flow of a further quantity of-sand into the pipe 6, for action upon it by the exhaust blast in the manner already described; and preferably, in order to give additional force to the diverted exhaust blast passing through the pipe 6,

this latter pipe and its supply pipe 10 should be made of about half the diameter of the motor exhaust pipe 21.

It will also be obvious that the exact structural lines herein disclosed need not be adhered to so long as provision be made for the accumulation of a suitable initially ejectable quantity of the sand in such a position in the apparatus that it cannot be dislodged by the ordinary jarring incident to the travelof the vehicle. It will thus be seen that while the contouring of the pipe 6 herein disclosed seems to be the preferable means for accomplishing this result, other equivalent forms could be substituted with like functional result and without departure from the fair spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

In combination with a sup ly container provided with a discharge outlet inits bottom, a vertically disposed" riser pipe positioned within said container, said pipe hav- 

